After the Fall A Leap into a Stranger's Arms novel Chapter 45

“Of course, Mr. James. What do you need?”

“I need you to look up someone in your HR system and send me their resume.”

“Who is it?”

Waldo could barely keep the edge out of his voice. “Your company’s Chief Engineer for R&D Department One, Catherine. I want her full resume.”

“Alright, give me a moment.”

He hung up and started pacing his office, his mind running in circles. No way. It had to be someone else with the same name. Catherine barely even touched computers except to play games and binge shows. There was no way she was some kind of tech genius.

No way.

It had to be someone else.

He took a deep breath, forced himself to sit back down, and took a slow sip of coffee. Just then his phone rang. He snatched it up. “Did you find it?”

“Mr. James, I’ve sent the resume to your email,” his old colleague replied.

“Thank you.” Waldo hung up and immediately opened his inbox. He spotted the new message right at the top. His hand shook a little as he clicked the attachment.

The screen filled with Catherine’s professional headshot, her features perfectly composed. Waldo fought to keep his expression calm, scrolling down to her education details. He stared at the words, feeling something crack inside him.

Catherine Blair. PhD in AI Science from Veridian University. Specialized in Artificial Intelligence and Neural Networks. Published several papers in top international journals under the name Nancy. Holds three core patents in the AI field.

Nancy? Catherine? The names even sounded alike. So those groundbreaking papers he’d admired years ago… they were hers? Waldo’s hand trembled even harder. He scrolled further, but the rest of the resume was blank.

She leaned in. It was Catherine’s photo.

A resume headshot, right there on the screen. Curiosity got the better of her. Why would Waldo be looking at Catherine’s resume? She scrolled down. When she saw the education section, Shirley’s eyes went wide with shock. She stared at the words, barely breathing.

Catherine had gone to Veridian University too? And she had a PhD in AI Science?

How could that be?

Her hand shook as she moved the mouse, checking the graduation year. And then her breath caught. Catherine had graduated a year before her.

“Nancy… so you’re Nancy,” Shirley whispered, remembering the times her professor had mentioned that name in the lab, calling her a once-in-a-decade genius.